> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sonarsource.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/analysis-modes.md).

# Analysis modes

The analysis can operate in three modes: *Automatic Analysis*, *AutoConfig*, or *Compilation Database*.

* [Automatic analysis](/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/automatic-analysis.md) mode automatically analyzes your code by reading it from your GitHub or Azure DevOps repository, without the need to configure a CI-based analysis.
* *AutoConfig* mode requires a CI-based analysis but automatically deduces the compilation options, so no compilation database needs to be generated or maintained.
* *Compilation Database* mode gives you the most control over the analysis configuration. It requires a CI-based analysis and a `compile_commands.json` supplied to the SonarScanner.

The analyzer must understand the code’s intended compilation options to ensure an accurate static analysis of the CFamily code.

* In Compilation Database mode, these options are provided to the analyzer through a [compilation database](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/JSONCompilationDatabase.html): a JSON file introduced by the LLVM project.
* In Automatic Analysis and AutoConfig modes, the analyzer attempts to deduce these options automatically. A set of high-level properties can tune the automatic deduction process. For details, see the [Customizing the analysis](/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/customizing-the-analysis.md#autoconfig-and-automatic-analysis-properties) article on the [Customizing the analysis](/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/customizing-the-analysis.md) page.

## Choosing the right analysis mode <a href="#choosing-the-right-analysis-mode" id="choosing-the-right-analysis-mode"></a>

**Automatic Analysis** mode is recommended if:

* You want a swift analysis setup with no CI pipeline or compilation database to configure or maintain.
* Your projects have a low CFamily code percentage.

**AutoConfig** mode is recommended if:

* Your projects aren’t hosted on GitHub or Azure DevOps — Automatic Analysis is only available for GitHub and Azure DevOps repositories.
* Your projects use compilers that don’t meet the supported compiler prerequisites of Compilation Database mode (see the [Prerequisites](/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/prerequisites.md) page).
* Your projects use compilation environments where generating a compilation database is not feasible (see the [Prerequisites](/sonarqube-cloud/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/prerequisites.md) page).
* You want a swift CI-based analysis setup without the need to generate or maintain a compilation database.
* Your projects have a low CFamily code percentage.
* You require faster analysis — you can control the hardware capacity on the CI where the analysis runs.

**Compilation Database** mode is recommended if:

* You’re seeking the highest CFamily analysis quality SonarQube Cloud can provide. In rare instances, Automatic Analysis and AutoConfig may result in some issues being overlooked.
* You want to have finer control over the analysis configuration, such as analyzing a specific build variant.
* Your projects have Objective-C code — Objective-C analysis is not supported in Automatic Analysis or AutoConfig modes.
* Your projects must comply with MISRA C++:2023 — the MISRA C++:2023 compliance quality profile requires Compilation Database mode.
* You require faster analysis — you can control the hardware capacity on the CI where the analysis runs.


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